At a time when energy security and affordability have risen to the top of the development agenda, 655 million people globally still lack access to electricity, and two billion use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, putting their health and well-being at risk.
Sub-Saharan Africa bears a disproportionate share of these gaps, with over 560 million living without electricity and 970 million lacking access to clean cooking, said a WHO press release.
The latest edition of Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, featuring new 2023 and 2024 data, shows while most regions are nearing universal access, progress in Sub-Saharan Africa has slowed significantly, and the pace of electrification must triple to achieve universal access by 2030.
Despite these challenges, the report highlights encouraging progress in several areas of sustainable energy. Renewable energy continued its strong expansion, accounting for over 30 per cent of global electricity consumption; while renewable energy-generating capacity reached a global record of 544 watts (enough to power a refrigerator) per person. International public financial flows supporting clean energy in developing countries increased slightly to US$ 24.6 billion; and improvements in global energy efficiency continued to reach 3.76 megajoules per US dollar, although this remains an insufficient pace to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 targets.
However, the report warns that without urgent and scaled-up action, the world will fall short of achieving SDG 7 to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030. Moreover, while the current global energy crisis is still unfolding, its impact on energy markets and the broader economy are expected to be significant.
In this context, accelerating domestic renewable energy deployment is increasingly seen as essential both for strengthening energy security and affordability as well as advancing long-term climate and development objectives. Distributed renewable energy solutions, including off-grid solar and mini-grids, are a cost-effective solution for electricity access, already serving hundreds of millions of people.
Electric cooking, bioethanol and biogas are also gaining traction as scalable renewable energy cooking solutions, helping to further diversify clean cooking pathways, the report added.
Affordability remains a major obstacle to expanding electricity access. Even where infrastructure is available, many households cannot afford connection fees, wiring costs or basic energy services.
As countries work to reach the remaining unelectrified population, target subsidies, innovative financing mechanisms and least cost electrification solutions will be essential to ensure that no one is left behind.
Financing constraints are hampering progress, with levels either insufficient to meet the SDG 7 goals or declining altogether in the poorest countries. International financial flows in support of clean energy to the least developed countries declined significantly, registering $3.7 billion in 2024, an 11 per cent decrease from 2023.
Stronger political leadership, improved cross-sector coordination, and a strategic focus on the countries and communities most at risk of being left behind remain cross-cutting priorities in the lead up to 2030. Clear policy signals and sustained implementation are fundamental to diversifying the national energy mix, increasing renewable energy, reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports and bolstering macroeconomic resilience against global supply chain disruptions.
The report will be presented to decision-makers at a special launch event on 8 July 2026, following the in-depth review of SDG 7 at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York, which oversees progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This report is published by the SDG 7 custodian agencies, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO), and aims to provide the international community with a global dashboard to register progress on energy access, energy efficiency, renewable energy and international cooperation to advance SDG 7.
This year’s edition was chaired by UN DESA.
Meanwhile, WHO calls on countries to expand newborn screening for birth defects, highlighting how early detection and treatment can save lives and reduce lifelong disability for millions of children.
A new WHO report, strengthening capacity for newborn screening, diagnosis and management of birth defects, identifies newborn screening as an important opportunity to accelerate progress in child survival.
Many conditions can be successfully treated if identified early after birth. These include congenital hypothyroidism, sickle-cell disease, hearing impairment and some metabolic disorders. Yet millions of children are still diagnosed too late or never receive treatment at all.
Worldwide, an estimated 8 million babies are born with a birth defect each year, and birth defects now account for almost 8% of all deaths among children under five. An estimated 90% of children born with serious birth defects live in low- and middle-income countries, where access to screening, diagnosis and treatment remains limited.
The report shows that birth defects account for a growing proportion of under-five deaths in many regions. Between 2000 and 2023, the proportion of under-five deaths attributable to birth defects increased from 1% to 4% in sub-Saharan Africa and from 3% to 11% in South Asia. Part of this shift reflects genuine progress in the reduction of deaths from infectious and other preventable causes.
The WHO report aims to support ministries of health, especially in low- and middle-income countries, to prioritize conditions for newborn screening depending on the country’s context.
It showcases countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas that are already demonstrating the successful integration of large-scale newborn screening programmes into routine health services:
WHO is urging governments to integrate newborn screening, diagnosis and treatment into routine health services and universal health coverage programmes, beginning with conditions that are country priorities, and that can be effectively detected and feasibly managed within their health system.
The report was informed by a global WHO consultation bringing together government representatives, technical experts, clinicians, researchers, professional associations, civil society organizations and families affected by birth defects to identify priorities for strengthening newborn screening, diagnosis and long-term care.
